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Gig work that works (perhaps), but only for US citizens. I wonder why they impose that restriction, seeing that they also state that as a contractor (giggler?)

Gig work that works (perhaps), but only for US citizens. I wonder why they impose that restriction, seeing that they also state that as a contractor (giggler?) you are responsible for all your own tax issues.

sokoloff 11y ago
In the US, you have to present information for an I-9 form when starting a new job. This is to prevent people without work authorization from working. The penalties for an employer to skip this step or otherwise hire unauthorized workers are very stiff. That's likely the reason for the restriction. It keeps them in the bounds of the law for the US.
- mikro2nd 11y ago
  Sounds like a reasonable guess, but strikes me as the lazy way out... other sites (Amazon comes to mind) manage to find ways around similar issues with an "I am not a US citizen/resident" option (which may or may not require additional documentation for verification.) They're certainly entitled to do whatever they want, but it looks to me like opening up a significant opportunity for someone to clone their business model in the rest of the world and beat them at their own game. edit: spelign
  - rossdavidh 11y ago
    It could also be simply that this means they only have to (try to) keep up with the law in one country, vs. many if they try to allow non-U.S. citizens. If it's a one-person (or at least not-many-people) show then keeping up with legal requirements/liabilities in one country is already a big deal.
BryanBigs 11y ago
One guess off the top of my head - Limiting to US is a quick way to screen for writers that have experience in US English (which their clients expect). It's not perfect, but it does a good first pass of removing individuals that speak different dialects of English. One big bottleneck for this service is the editing/grading - so reducing the time spent on that task is essential if you are trying to make money.
Mz 11y ago
Actually, Textbroker is not just for U.S. citizens. If you go to their site, they take freelancers in multiple countries. You cannot live just anywhere, but they do serve more than just the U.S.

sokoloff 11y ago

In the US, you have to present information for an I-9 form when starting a new job. This is to prevent people without work authorization from working. The penalties for an employer to skip this step or otherwise hire unauthorized workers are very stiff. That's likely the reason for the restriction. It keeps them in the bounds of the law for the US.

mikro2nd 11y ago
Sounds like a reasonable guess, but strikes me as the lazy way out... other sites (Amazon comes to mind) manage to find ways around similar issues with an "I am not a US citizen/resident" option (which may or may not require additional documentation for verification.) They're certainly entitled to do whatever they want, but it looks to me like opening up a significant opportunity for someone to clone their business model in the rest of the world and beat them at their own game. edit: spelign
- rossdavidh 11y ago
  It could also be simply that this means they only have to (try to) keep up with the law in one country, vs. many if they try to allow non-U.S. citizens. If it's a one-person (or at least not-many-people) show then keeping up with legal requirements/liabilities in one country is already a big deal.

BryanBigs 11y ago

One guess off the top of my head - Limiting to US is a quick way to screen for writers that have experience in US English (which their clients expect). It's not perfect, but it does a good first pass of removing individuals that speak different dialects of English. One big bottleneck for this service is the editing/grading - so reducing the time spent on that task is essential if you are trying to make money.

Mz 11y ago

Actually, Textbroker is not just for U.S. citizens. If you go to their site, they take freelancers in multiple countries. You cannot live just anywhere, but they do serve more than just the U.S.